My Name Is Justin
by DR. COFFIN
Summary: Follow up to Little Boy Lost and Night the Devil Cried. A fateful occurance one spring afternoon will turn one young man's world upside down and reveal his connection to one of the greatest tragedies in the history of superherodom.
1. Chapter 1

**My Name Is Justin**

**Chapter 1**

**The Truth Be Told**

My Name is Justin Rexton.

At least it used to be…before I learned the truth.

Before the only world I ever knew vanished in one day.

Before I was alone.

I guess I better start with some background.

I'm fifteen years old and live in San Diego, California with my parents in a nice little neighborhood. As an only child I guess I was a little spoiled; I never wanted for anything and my parents very seldom said no to me about anything, but when they did I didn't argue. I don't have any other family members…well, except for Uncle Angus who only comes to visit at Christmas time. I'm still not sure that he's really a relative as he looks nothing like either of my parents…he's a big fat guy with a Scottish accent who likes to drink too much and when he does he starts trying to talk about "the old days" but Mom would give him a dirty look that shut him up. They claim there's other family members, but I've never seen or talked to any of them…there isn't even a family album.

I just started going to high school with some friends of mine this fall. When we're not in school we're usually playing basketball or hanging out at the skate park. Once in a great while we go surfing. I guess that makes me an average California kid.

But that started changing a few months ago.

Dad started leaving home for days on end. Mom would claim he was going on business trips, but she would be worried sick until the minute he showed back up. She'd have every tv and radio tuned to the news stations, listening to every bulletin like it was life or death for her. But even when he did come back they'd go out into the garage and have a terrible fight. I was beginning to think Mom was suspicious that Dad was having an affair.

If only it had been something that simple.

It started one late spring day. Dad was on one of his "business trips" and I was out shooting hoops with my friends when a storm came rolling in.

I didn't think anything of the storm, they happened nearly every summer afternoon. I was just playing ball until my entire body was seized with a horrible pain I can't begin to describe. All of my joints locked up and I fell to the ground, but I couldn't even cry out because my jaws were clenched tight.

One of my friends ran and got my mom, but when she arrived she refused to let anyone call for an ambulance and said she would handle it.

I'm a big kid for my age, but Mom scooped me up like I weighed nothing and ran to the house, getting me up to my room in a matter of moments. Once she was sure I wasn't having an epileptic seizure and that I wasn't going to swallow my tongue, she left me on my bed and ran to grab the phone. I couldn't hear what she was saying but she was virtually shrieking about what was going on, and I heard her say "doctor".

Outside the storm continued to build in power. The wind picked up and the sky went from day to night as the blackest clouds I ever saw through my window appeared. Thunder began to rumble, and streaks of lightning flashed bright enough to nearly blind me.

Then I heard it. I swear I honestly think I HEARD the storm speaking outside; its voice was the thunder now shaking the house and, like my mom, I couldn't understand the words, but I knew it was speaking to me.

I don't know why I did it. The agony I was in was unbearable…it felt like every bone in my body was twisting itself, trying to tear out of my body. My fingers tingled though they were numb, and my body was soaked in sweat. I stretched my hands out to the window, to the storm outside, silently begging for help.

The storm answered.

Lightning blasted open my window and struck me. Arcs of electricity danced around and through me, burning away the pain I was in and washing me in its power. It was over in an instant, but the effects were spectacular. The pain was totally gone, and instead I felt more alive and stronger than I ever had in my entire life. I could feel the blood pumping through my veins, the vibrancy of every muscle, the tingling of my skin. I felt the wind blowing through the window, caressing my body and drying the sweat that had drenched me. It felt like absolute bliss.

Then I looked in the mirror. What I saw was a surprise to top all the others.

My clothes had been blasted to rags by the lightning, but there wasn't a mark on my naturally dark skin. I was already in pretty good shape, but now my muscles were more evident, proof that the lightning had made me stronger somehow. My dark eyes now seemed to glisten with a light from within, but the biggest shock was my hair. I had had naturally dark, almost jet black hair my entire life that I had always worn long. Now it was absolutely white, a flawless shade matching freshly fallen snow.

I was staring at myself when Mom came in. Already panicked, she almost freaked when she saw my hair, but I told her I was fine otherwise. I didn't tell her that the lightning itself had struck me, but my hair must have turned white from the trauma I had undergone. I wasn't sure that she bought it, but she didn't push it. Outside the storm passed on as if it's work had been done. As it left I could see the patterns of energy swirling within it like wild animals chasing and playing with each other. I can't begin to describe how beautiful it looked to me.

Once things settled down we had someone come in to replace the blasted window the day after the storm. It was two days after that I was alone at home when the news bulletin came on tv.

"…the confirmed apprehension and incarceration of the notorious super villain "Mr. Richtor" who was captured just an hour ago after a spectacular battle in downtown Malibu against members of the Golden Statesmen, California's premiere team of heroes. As our viewers may know, the villain is wanted for a series of spectacular bank and armored car robberies committed all up and down the west coast the past three months. Richtor, as he is called, refers to the "Richtor Scale" used to measure earthquakes. This is because in addition to immense superhuman strength, he is able to generate seismic force waves that can shatter concrete…"

I wasn't listening to the rest, because what I saw made everything else vanish from my mind. I saw Mr. Richtor, a heavily built, muscular man in a green and gray costume. I saw him without his mask.

It was my dad.

Only he wasn't my dad. I don't mean that in a "he can't be my dad, he just looks like him" or "he's not my dad as that's not the way he is at home" way. I mean I realized fully that he was NOT my dad. Period.

I saw the scowling face on tv, and realized that though he also had black hair like I…well, like I USED to have, and was very strong looking, he didn't have the same height, skin color, or eyes like I did.

Then I also realized something else.

Neither did my mom.

I started to kill the tv as the picture on it was making me sick, but I turned around and saw her standing there, staring at me. My mom looked even less like me than "Dad" did. Though she was tall, she had a lean, angular build with rather short light brown hair and pale blue eyes.

"Now you know," she said in a voice I had never heard come out of her before. It was almost like a hiss. Her eyes now had a dangerous look to them.

"What," I answered, "that he's one of the most wanted super criminals in the state? I do now. And I also know he's not my father."

The last part made her visibly wince, and I realized I might have said too much. She got a strange look on her face, like two sides of her personality were fighting for control. Finally the "other" one came to the front, and I really did NOT like this one.

"He was a fool," she said, her eyes shifting back and forth like she was some kind of animal, "he was TOLD not to keep doing it. Now he's endangered all of us…and you…they mustn't find you at all."

What was she talking about? It almost sounded like…

"I've got to get you out of here," she said, her eyes suddenly becoming those of the woman I thought I had once known, "I don't care what happens to me…but you've got to be kept safe. Go out to the garage…grab the money he stashed out there, take all you can carry. Then get to Maxville. Find the Commander and Jetstream. They'll know what to do."

"Why?" I asked, feeling what little world I had start falling apart, "they're super heroes…your husband is a villain…are you one too?"

She nodded her head sadly.

"I'm not your mother either," she said, and it seemed to hurt her to admit it.

"Who are my parents?" I stammered out.

"I can only tell you your father's name," she said, now not even able to look at me, "just go and do as I said, then I'll tell you."

I went out to the garage and found a large old trunk pushed far back behind crates of junk and garbage. It was locked, but when I touched it a surge of electricity shot out of my fingers and blasted the lock open with a loud crack. I was scared for a second, but realized that I wasn't hurt. It had seemed so natural.

Inside was…money. I'd never seen so much in one place at one time. I didn't have time to count it, but I grabbed as much as I could and got back to the house, making sure no one saw me. Paranoia had hit me as well as "Mom".

Back in the house I saw she had gone upstairs and quickly packed a suitcase for me. She also told me she had called the airport and reserved a plane ticket for the next flight to Maxville and a cab was coming to take me there. She took the money and stuffed it into my pockets, telling me that even if they questioned me at security about why I had so much money to just tell them my mother had given it to me as she didn't trust banks or credit card companies.

She rushed me to the door and insisted I meet the cab down the street on the next block. It was less likely to attract attention from the neighbors than if it stopped in front of the house. She then held my face in both her hands and I could see she was crying.

"Be strong, my fledgling," she said, "I'm so sorry you have to fly from the nest so soon. But do as I have said. Find the Commander and Jetstream…especially Jetstream. When you do, tell her that Letha Talone said she was sorry for everything."

So that was my "mom's" real name. I had no idea why that would mean anything to a world famous heroine, but I wasn't about to ask.

"But why would they help me?" I asked, "I'm just some kid from California…I'm nothing special."

"But you are," she smiled, "I knew you were the second you were placed in mine and Richard's charge…and then when the storm struck…it confirmed it. You look so much like your father, and now have power like he does. God grant that you use it wisely."

I look like my father…I have power like my father. The words stuck in my head and wouldn't leave.

"My father?" I said, the final piece I wanted for this puzzle.

She told me my father's name.

Then she rushed me out of the house, stopping only to give me a kiss on the cheek as she slammed the door shut behind me.

I was stunned for a moment, but I did as she told me. I hurried down to the corner just as a cab started to pull up and the driver spotted me.

"You the kid I'm picking up for the airport?"

"Yeah," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a twenty-dollar bill, "get me to the airport as fast as you can, and this is your tip."

He grinned in understanding, and didn't ask any questions as I put the suitcase in the trunk and got into the cab. We drove away and I took one last look at the only home I had ever known.

Then I watched it burst into flames.

I almost yelled for the driver to stop the car or turn around so I could go back, but then I saw…I don't know for sure. It looked like a monstrous bird flying away from behind the house under cover of the fire and smoke. A bird…or a person with wings.

I knew that would be the last time I would see my "mom".

Now I'm sitting in my seat on the plane as it takes off. I've never been on a plane before, so I'm a little nervous about flying. But that pales in comparison to what I've got waiting for me when I land.

I have to find the two greatest heroes in the world and tell them my story. "Mom" said it wouldn't be a problem because they would listen the first time they see me, because I look so much like my father.

And that's how I'll introduce myself…using his name.

My name is Justin.

Justin Battle.

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**My Name Is Justin**

**Chapter 2**

**Welcome to Maxville**

I had the dream again.

The "green dream".

For as long as I can remember, once in a great while I would have it.

I call it the "green dream" because in it everything is green…like I'm seeing the world through tinted glasses.

Not that there is much of a world. All I can remember is I open my eyes and I see him.

The man.

I have no idea who he is, as I've never seen him outside the dream.

He's an older looking man, dressed in a dark suit. Around him and to the sides are strange blinking lights. He is always smiling at me.

Is he my real dad?

No, my "mom" told me I look like my father, and this man looks nothing like me.

Could he be another relative…an uncle or a grandfather?

But why would I see him and not my real father or mother?

Then I always wake up. Like I did now.

"Attention, everyone," says the voice of the pilot over the intercom, "we're preparing for final approachto Maxville International Airport. Please make sure that…Good Lord, what's that!"

The plane lurched to one side and everyone started to panic until the pilot came back on.

"Sorry about that everyone, I guess this is to be expected coming into this town. If you can look out the left side windows you'll see why."

I was sitting near a window on the left side, so I looked out. I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was one of those flying dinosaurs…a pterodactyl! It was flying along as if it were as common as a sparrow.

Then I saw her.

Jetstream. The very heroine I had been sent to find.

She shot through the air and towards the pterodactyl, scaring it so that it banked off to one side and away from the airport. She was trying to herd it away so no planes would be endangered by the monster's presence.

On board everyone was scared and excited at the same time. They were all talking at once, but I had nothing to say.

I had seen her. But how could I contact her?

The plane landed without any more incidents. I rushed to the gift shop and purchased a small portable radio so I could listen for any other news about Jetstream or the dinosaur. Reports kept coming in from chopper pilots and reporters about what was going on, and I was nearly frantic to get my suitcase and hail a cab outside. Since I hada couplethousand dollars in cash on me, it was no problem to pay for anything.

Once I got a cab I instructed the driver to go where I told him, and a couple of twenties turned the cab into my personal ride. Eventually I heard of another dinosaur sighting and had the cab driver head that way. In a few minutes we were there, and I knew that was the right place.

There was a stegosaurus lumbering down the street. Though supposedly mild tempered according to the experts on the Discovery Channel, this bruiser wasn't very docile as he made his way along, slamming into cars or smashing them with his spiked tail.

That's when he appeared.

The Commander.

I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked impressive on television, but in life he was even greater. I was used to California bodybuilders, but this guy was BIG. He seemed to give off charisma and confidence like light from the sun, and I could see how he was so popular.

He approached the stegosaurus like it was a stray dog, and tried to calm it down.

"Easy big fella," he said, slowly advancing on the dinosaur, "I know you're confused…just settle down and we'll get you back home."

For something so big the stegosaur moved like lightning, whipping around and slamming the Commander with it's spiked tail, sending him flying into a nearby car that crumpled under the impact like it was made of cardboard.

The people cried out in alarm, but were relieved when the Commander got up completely unharmed. He was actually smiling!

"Okay," he grinned, "let's do this the hard way."

Once again the spiked tail whipped through the air, but this time the Commander was able to dodge it, then grabbed it and pulled as hard as he could. With a bellow the stegosaurus was pulled off its feet, and it fell to the street with a deafening crash. While it was momentarily stunned the Commander yanked up a nearby lamppost like it was a weed and quickly used it to hogtie the dinosaur's legs together so it couldn't get back up. It started bellowing in frustration, but soon gave up when it realized it was trapped.

"What do you want done with him, Commander," said one of the policemen on the scene, "ship him off to Monster Island?"

"No," said the Commander, "this big boy is here courtesy of the Curator and that stupid Scepter of Chronos again."

"I thought he promised to go straight after that little incident with the Roman Legion he summoned up that wouldn't obey him because he forgot they only understood ancient Italian."

"He did," said the Commander, "this time he was actually trying to summon up harmless prehistoric animals for the new display at the Maxville Museum of Natural History…you know, those little dog-sized horses and such. He wanted a kind of petting zoo for the kids but his aim was obviously off."

"I'm just glad he didn't let out a t-rex," said the officer, "that would have been disastrous".

A loud shriek from above drew everyone's attention, and we all looked up to see the pterodactyl overhead, still being herded by Jetstream.

"I could use a little help up here, Commander," she yelled down to her husband.

That was when I decided to do what I did.

I jumped out of the cab, paid the driver, and grabbed my suitcase. I was desperate to get their attention, but they wouldn't concentrate on anything else with the one monster still left, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone…so to speak.

I reached inside me and found the ball of energy that had been growing within me ever since I had been touched by the storm only days ago. I willed it to come to the surface and felt the strange tingling in my chest that spread to my arms and up to my fingers, building in intensity until I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I then shot a bolt of lightning from my outstretched hands and hit the pterodactyl, which shrieked and stiffened, then plummeted to the ground. Jetstream swooped down after it, grabbing onto it to keep it from crashing as she slowly lowered it to the ground.

The entire crowd, including the police and the Commander, turned as one and saw me still standing there holding my hands up. I admit I was a little out of it and I then noticed everyone was looking at me.

"Well," said the Commander as he approached me, "you're the young man we have to thank for…"

He froze. He had the strangest look on his face that I had ever seen. It was almost like he recognized me, but I was different somehow.

"Warren?" he said, as if I would answer to the name.

"No sir," I said, trying to sound brave but my voice was cracking from my nerves, "my name is Justin…Justin Battle."

His mouth hung open for an instant, but he quickly composed himself and walked up close to me.

"Let's get somewhere private and talk," he said quietly as he noticed Jetstream come swooping in after depositing the unconscious pterodactyl safely in the street. When she walked up and saw me I thought for an instant she was going to faint, but she also got a hold of herself.

"Let's get back home," the Commander said, and she nodded in agreement. She held her hands out to both of us and while he took it without hesitation I was a little nervous. What if I accidentally shocked her? She seemed to sense my concern and smiled.

"Don't worry," she said, "my costume's insulated against electricity. Fighting certain villains and flying through thunderstorms taught me that the hard way."

I then took her hand and she lifted into the air, taking us with her.

It was amazing flying through the air like that…to feel the wind in my face and look down to see the city below, knowing that only this woman's grip was what kept me from falling to certain death. But I wasn't worried.

When we landed, I then remembered that I had forgotten my suitcase, but I saw that the Commander had grabbed it for me. With a smile he handed it to me, then made a strange request.

"Son, I have to ask a favor of you," he said, "we're going to take you to our Secret Sanctum…it's not that we don't trust you but…"

"I understand," I said, "there's a lot of people out there that want to hurt you."

"I'm glad you understand," said the Commander, and nodded his head.

I turned around to catch a strange smell as Jetstream sprayed me in the face with something she had pulled from her utility belt. I was asleep in an instant.

* * *

I woke up in something out of a comic book fan's dream. 

I was in the legendary Secret Sanctum, the headquarters of the Commander and Jetstream. I had been placed on a comfortable leather sofa facing a pool table and a pinball machine, both of which I never would have thought of super heroes having. I also saw a setup of sophisticated computers and a large monitor.

"He's awake," I heard Jetstream say, and she was there beside me with an icepack in case I needed it.

"Sorry about that," she smiled, looking more like an angel than ever before, "but we had to make sure you couldn't see how to get here. It's better for your safety as well as ours."

I understood, like I'd said before.

"Now, if you're feeling better," said the Commander, "we can get down to business. Just who are you?"

That was a question I honestly didn't know if I could answer. I told the world's greatest heroes everything that had happened to me, and they hung on every word I said.

"I had heard that Richtor had been captured in California," said the Commander, "but I hadn't heard from him for years…not since…"

Jetstream touched his arm, breaking him off from what he was about to say as she glanced towards me. She had been very startled when I told her what my "mom" had told me to tell her; "Letha Talone says she is sorry for everything".

"I don't believe it," she said, but not that she thought my "mom" was lying, "SHE was masquerading as your mother? Richtor playing daddy is one thing but this…"

It turns out my "mom" Letha Talone was a villainess called the Harpy, a vicious long-time enemy of Jetstream for years. She had vanished along with Mr. Richtor, and now it turned out they had been hiding out in California, raising me.

Then it was time for me to ask the questions.

"Who is my father? Who is Baron Battle?"

Both of them seemed unable to answer the question, as well as the other one.

"Why did you call me Warren?"

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" a voice interrupted us.

"Oh God," said the Commander, "Josie, get to the entrance and stop him before…"

In came a boy probably only a year or two younger than me. He was on the skinny side with a mop of reddish brown hair that matched that of Jetstream. He came bounding in all excited and didn't notice me at first.

"We saw on the tv at school about the dinosaurs," said the young man, all excited, "Dad, the way you handled that stegosaur was amazing, and Mom…"

That was as far as he got when he noticed me. He went totally silent as his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. I seemed to be having that affect on everyone today.

Both the Commander and Jetstream seemed upset for a moment that this boy, obviously their son, had caught them "at work". They then relaxed like they were glad the charade was over.

"Will," said the Commander, " this is the young man who helped your mom with that ptero-thingy. This is…well, apparently this is Justin Battle."

Introducing me didn't seem to relax Will at all. He was still staring at me until his dad nudged him to see if he was still breathing.

"Is he…did you…" Will was over the place.

"No," said the Commander, "until I met him an hour ago I never even knew he existed. And we're going to the one man who can answer a lot of the questions we all have right now."

We all went upstairs into what was apparently their home. It was a nice, large house, even nicer than the one that had used to be my home. The Commander and Jetstream disappeared for a few minutes and returned in their "civilian" clothes. While they were doing that I was in the den with Will, who kept staring at me.

"Sorry," he said when I kept catching him looking at me, "you just…you look like…"

Then I saw it. On one of the walls was a set of pictures from different holidays, but one older picture caught my eye. It was obviously the Commander when he was much younger, maybe my age. With him was another powerfully builtboy who looked like me. Same skin tone, same features, same hair…well, black anyway, and the same eyes.

"That's my dad and…Baron Battle," said Will.

"My dad." I said, looking at the picture.

"When they were at Sky High," said Will.

I couldn't take my eyes off his picture. Why hadn't they taken me to him? Where was he? Was he…was this all that was left of him?

"Let's go boys," said the Commander, who looked funny in a long-sleeved shirt, slacks and glasses. Did that disguise really fool anyone?

"If anyone's hungry we'll get something on the way. I'm sure we all want to get answers as soon as possible," said Jetstream…Josie.

"Where are we going?" asked Will.

"To the one guy smart enough to figure out what's going on. We're going to your teacher Mr. Medulla's private lab."

* * *

We met with this man the Commander had been talking about. 

He was a skinny, kind of goofy looking guy with a funny voice and the BIGGEST head I'd ever seen. It was obvious why everyone thought he could help.

"An interesting quandary," said Mr. Medulla, "and one I think will be fascinating to explore. First we'll need the usual…some blood samples, a quick swab of the mouth and maybe some hair samples. While that's being gone over we'll do a quick examination of our Mr. Peace…I mean Mr. BATTLE here. See what makes him tick."

That was the second time someone had almost called me by another name. Was I missing something?

I've always hated needles, but I let him get the blood sample though he had to try with a special needle because the first ones had trouble penetrating my skin, which I thought was weird. After he got the other samples he wanted I was escorted to an exam room where my vitals were checked, and then I was put in a machine that went from one end of my body to the other. I guess it was some sort of x-ray, but it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Mr. Medulla just made all sorts of humming noises as he kept reading whatever was showing up on the monitor in front of him.

I don't know how long it all took, but I was sure glad when it was over. I got dressed and went back out to where the others were waiting. In a couple of minutes Mr. Medulla came out with his findings.

"Well, I was right," said Mr. Medulla as he looked at the readings his devices had given him, "this is VERY interesting."

"What's the news?"

"Mr. Battle…Justin here…is indeed who he claims to be. His biological father is indeed Baron Battle."

That seemed to bowl everyone over, especially the Commander.

"But he's the same age as Warren," said the Commander, "and I know there was no way that Baron was ever unfaithful to Angelica."

The name "Warren" again…and now another name, Angelica. The mystery to me was getting deeper with the proof of my paternity, not lighter.

"Nor was he," said Mr. Medulla, "because Justin's mother was…indeed IS Angelica. I would think that the hair color was a dead giveaway."

My mother's name is Angelica? Now I knew both of my parents' names.

"But that's impossible," said Will, "that would mean…"

"It's not only possible, but it simply…is. Justin here is the fraternal twin brother to Warren Peace."

Now I know who this Warren is.

He is my brother.

I have a father…a mother…and a brother.

I have a family.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**My Name Is Justin**

**Chapter 3**

**Stranger With My Face**

After we left Mr. Medulla's lab, no one spoke.

What could we possibly say?

We went back to the Stronghold house, and they insisted I stay there until they tried to figure out what to do next. Once I was as settled in as I could get, we had a nice dinner though I couldn't really bring myself to eat much.

Afterwards, they sat down with me and told me where to find them.

My mother, who I have never seen.

My brother, who I never knew existed until a few hours ago.

But first, they told me about my father…Baron Battle.

He was once a great hero, a mighty champion of justice and defender of the weak. At first he had incredible strength and a brilliant intellect…until the day an experiment went wrong somehow and he was caught in a blast of some unknown energies. He was wounded, but recovered quickly to find he had been given even greater power…the ability to fly and fire energy bolts.

That was also the day he was damned.

No one knew it at the time, but my father had been afflicted with the beginnings of an inoperable brain tumor. He went on to marry my mother, and fathered Warren…and me.

I think.

You see no one even knew I existed. Warren was born an only child.

Yet, here I am for everyone to see.

Anyway, a few years later my father succumbed to the brain tumor…to the delusions and paranoia it caused. He changed his armor and gathered a small army of some of the worst super villains there were…beings of pure malice and spite that he somehow bent to his will. Then he led the Brotherhood of Darkness, as they were called, when he lured his best friend the Commander into a trap at Mount Rushmore and tried to kill him.

He nearly succeeded.

A tremendous battle raged, virtually destroying Mount Rushmore and the city of Deadwood, before the Commander and his friends in the Champions of Justice overcame the Brotherhood and defeated them.

Baron Battle fell at the hands of the Commander.

Now my father is mad, locked up in a super prison in the arctic along with the monsters he led…leaving my mother and brother alone.

And no one knowing I existed.

But how can this be? How can someone NOT know I existed if I am, as Mr. Medulla said, a twin brother to Warren…a person I've never even seen…or knew existed.

I guess it cuts both ways.

The next day I waited at the Stronghold house in the Secret Sanctum while the Strongholds went and did their civilian jobs, and Will went to school. The hours drug by, so I went and got on the computer and researched my "new" family.

I found out that they had told me the truth, but left out a few things…such as my mother having a nervous breakdown after Dad was incarcerated and Warren nearly being taken by the military until the Stronghold's tried to adopt him.

That showed me that they were the right people to have come to after all.

That afternoon Will returned, and I watched him talking to a beautiful redheaded girl all dressed in shades of green like an elf princess. I stayed out of sight in the window so she wouldn't see me, as the last thing I needed was to scare anyone else.

Will came in and told me that he had told Warren what was happening, and that he and my…our mother would be waiting for us.

Will wanted to come with me, and I'm glad, because I don't think I could do this on my own.

I just lost the only family I ever knew…what…a couple of days ago. Now I was in a strange city about to meet two of the three people who have become dearer to me than anything else I've thought possible.

* * *

Now I stood outside the modest apartment building near the waterfront, swallowing hard at the thought of what was about to happen. Will put his hand on my shoulder. 

"It's going to be okay," he said with a lop-sided grin, "I'll be right beside you."

Amazing. Will was the one of the geekiest kids I'd ever seen, but he was now being an emotional rock for someone he'd only known for a little over a day.

We went upstairs to the designated apartment, but just as Will started to knock on the door, we heard a voice from inside.

"Come in William," we heard a woman's voice say, "it's not locked."

We both froze for a second, scared about what had just happened. Was the woman inside psychic, or had she just seen us from the street and knew who we were? Either way, we did as we were told.

We entered the apartment, and the living room was a nice, well-kept place with simple furniture, including a really big overstuffed chair that looked like it was made for a giant that I instantly knew had to be my father's.

We saw the woman who had spoken to us.

The term "goddess" would have been more appropriate.

She was as tall as me, but didn't look much older. She was in fantastic shape, the envy of any fitness or swimsuit model I had seen in California. I could see where I got my hair color from, for hers was as white as snow as well, looking like a silvery cloud rolling down her shoulders almost to her waist. She was wearing a simple blue dress, but the term "simple" didn't really apply to her in ANY way.

Then I saw her eyes.

They were green…a shade of dazzling, almost emerald green that seemed to entrance and hold you as you looked into them. But I also knew from what I was told that those eyes, while lighting up the world for us, were dark for the one who owned them.

I knew my mother was blind, but it was still a shock to see it.

"Hello William," she said to Will, and I saw that he was totally dumbstruck by the sight of my mother. I then remembered that he had embarrassingly admitted that he had never met her before, and was a little nervous. I elbowed him gently to get him back to earth.

"Hi…uh, hello, Mrs. Peace," said Will, trying to sound more mature by dropping his voice, "I'm sure Warren told you I…we were coming."

"Yes, he did," she smiled, lighting up the world, "and I'm glad I finally got to meet his best friend, though the circumstances are a little…unusual for it."

She then turned to me, and I could FEEL her looking at me…through me…into the depths of my being. But she was blind…how could she "see" anything?

She stood there for a moment, puzzled by what she was "seeing", then the shock registered on her face, and a single tear formed in one of those magical eyes.

"It's true," she whispered out loud, "Dear God…you ARE my son."

With that she held her arms open to me, and I felt like I was drawn to her by something pulling at my heart. I ran the few steps to her and threw my arms about her, feeling such love as I had never known possible. We both stood there, crying for who knows how long. Eventually we had to break the embrace, but I did not want to. I wanted to be held in those strong arms and absorb the love of my long lost mother for the rest of eternity.

She led me unerringly to the sofa, and we sat together while Will thought better of sitting in my dad's chair for some reason, and found another place to sit.

"But Mrs. Peace," Will said quietly, "I thought Warren was an only child."

"He was," smiled my mother, "and I should know…I was there."

"Then how could I exist?" I whispered.

"I think I can answer that," came a voice from the still open doorway.

There stood the Commander, or should I say Steven Stronghold. He was carrying a book of some kind, but it was who he had with him that caught my full attention.

I saw…me. Standing next to Mr. Stronghold was a boy who looked almost just like me, except he had retained his black hair though it had strange red streaks in it. He was dressed in leather and denim that looked like it had been scorched several times, and he seemed to have trouble looking straight ahead, almost as if he looked at the world through the top of his eyes and the hair in the way.

It was my brother. Warren.

"I ran into him downstairs," said Mr. Stronghold, "and I thought he should be here for this too." He then turned his attention to my mother.

"Hello, Angelica," he said, his voice almost seeming to quiver at the sight of her.

"Dear Steven," she smiled back, "it's been too long."

The two of them started talking, but I wasn't paying attention because my focus was totally on my brother. I slowly stood up and started walking to him, and he did the same until we were almost face-to-face.

He then looked me full in the face, and I could see the pain he held within him through his own dark eyes. I had no idea of what he had been through in his life, but then I couldn't really recall what had happened in much of mine.

Neither of us spoke for a long time, we just looked at each other until Will finally spoke up.

"I know what I'd do if I found a long lost brother," he said.

I knew what I wanted to do, but how would Warren react?

From what I had been told Warren had had a hard life…one that made him defensive of anyone wanting to reach out to him.

I wanted to do more than reach out to him. I had been raised to always express myself; to laugh when I was happy and cry when I was sad. That may sound strange for a guy, and my "dad" sometimes frowned upon it, but "mom" would always give him a look that settled him down.

I figured what the hell.

I threw my arms around my brother, giving him a hug from the bottom of my heart. He had not been expecting it, and stiffened up like it was an alien experience for him.

It probably was.

Then slowly I felt the stiffness ease up, and his own powerful arms encircled me, returning my hug gently at first, then with a sudden emotional ferocity that spoke volumes of his loneliness. I could actually feel it wash over me like a wave that threatened to drown me, but I fought it off. I was strong for my brother…a part of myself that I did not know I was missing until now.

We both began to cry…gently at first, and then deep sobs of released anguish and intakes of joy at what was happening. In a way it was similar to the experience with my mother, a deep emotional and spiritual connection that, while strong for a mother and child, was different and deeper for what Warren and I were experiencing. He was a part of me. I was a part of him.

"Justin," said the Commander, "I need to ask you if you could look through these pictures and tell me if you recognize any of the people you see…even if they look remotely familiar."

I didn't want to break the embrace, and I could tell Warren didn't either. We held it for a little longer, and then we slowly parted, still looking at each other

I nodded at the Commander, then took and opened the book. It was full of front and side pictures of the faces of lots of men and women, and I realized I was looking through a book of mug shots of super villains when I spotted my "dad" Mr. Richtor.

I then also found a picture of the Harpy, who had been posing as my mother, though she had had some plastic surgery, probably as part of her disguise.

I also spotted the face of a heavy-set man with red hair and a beard, and recognized him as "Uncle Angus"; at least that was who I knew him as. He would come visit us every Christmas and dress up like Santa Claus, though I knew it was him from his thick Scottish accent. I had always thought that was strange, as nobody else in the "family" seemed Scottish in any way.

"Blowhard too," muttered the Commander, "well, that explains why he would disappear for a few days around Christmas every year."

I went on, looking at some very ugly and very dangerous looking people, until I saw him.

The man from the green dream.

He was younger in the picture, with a fuller head of black hair, and a scowl that looked totally alien to the kindly smile I was so used to.

I pointed him out to the Commander, and told him about the "green dream" I had had for years…even just having it on the flight from San Diego to Maxville.

The Commander actually went pale. So did Will and Warren.

I was totally confused…why was this man in a book with all these terrible people?

"It's him, isn't it?" I heard my mother say.

The Commander only nodded his head, seeming to confirm something that he didn't dare speak out loud.

I looked at the writing under the picture, and finally knew the name of the man from the dream.

Dr. Barnabas Mandragore.

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

**My Name Is Justin**

**Chapter 4**

"**I Heard the Devil Call My Name"**

The super sophisticated jet shot through the evening sky, headed out to sea and its destination. More advanced than anything in the military, the plane had full vertical take-off and landing capabilities as well as Mach-4 flight and special armor that was lighter than aluminum but stronger than titanium.

On board the plane were five people. At the controls was Jetstream, a skilled pilot whose own power of flight made her the perfect candidate to fly the jet through the obstacles they knew would block their journey. Next to her sat her husband the Commander, who was raw power given physical form. He had proven there was nothing physical he could not break or lift, but now he was content to sit and let his wife do what she did best…handle the fine work.

In the seat behind Jetstream sat her son Will, who had just gained the usage of the powers genetically bequeathed him by his parents; he had both his mother's ability to fly and his father's super strength. Only fourteen, Will was being groomed to be part of the next generation of super heroes, and while he looked forward to his destiny, at times he seemed totally clueless as to what to do in certain situations. This was, to date, the strangest situation yet.

Next to Will sat Warren Peace. Only a year older than Will he looked almost his total opposite; tall, powerful and somewhat dangerous with his shoulder length black hair with blood red streaks. Warren was the son of Baron Battle, once a great hero who had gone mad and tried to kill his former friends. Warren had grown up bearing that stigma, and his fearsome power to generate flames and hurl fireballs combined with near physical invulnerability had only made people fear and shun him more.

Behind Warren sat the reason for this flight. Justin Battle had proven to be what he looked like; Warren's twin brother. Save for his snow-white hair, Justin was the physical image of Warren in every way. But where Warren constantly brooded, Justin was usually happy go lucky and friendly…until he had learned of his true heritage. Now he was in a state of wondering and worrying that made the average concerns of being a teenager trivial by comparison. While all teens wondered about themselves and where they came from, Justin had just learned something shocking.

He wasn't supposed to even exist.

He was Warren's twin, but one who had not been born at the same time.

He apparently had not been born at all.

But through putting together a few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that was Justin's existence, they had found the clues that would lead them to the one who would have all the answers to what was going on.

That man was Dr. Barnabas Mandragore, a super villain who had once been the archenemy of Baron Battle. Though not possessing any super powers, Dr. Mandragore was a scientific genius without peer who had performed seeming miracles with his vast intelligence, though sadly all had been for criminal purposes. That had changed when Baron had become what he did and been locked away. Dr. Mandragore was a villain without a hero to fight, and had gone into retirement only to emerge and save the life of his one-time enemies' son when Warren had nearly died when his powers had manifested in a fit of anger and pain.

Once Warren was safe, Mandragore had not been seen since, but Justin had recognized his picture as a man from a strange recurring dream he had been having for years. That dream was the clue they needed to now seek out this man, and hopefully solve this mystery once and for all.

* * *

Everyone had been so quiet once the plane took off. There had really not been anything to say, I guess. Though the Commander and Jetstream at first were totally against it, Will, Warren and I had insisted on going. This was totally about Warren and I, but Will was determined to help as well. In a strange way it seemed that he and Warren had come to look upon each other as brothers as well, and they both wanted to help me find out the truth about myself…and where I fit into the world. 

Suddenly a surge of energy ran through my body, and I felt for the first time since I had "powered up" the presence of a storm nearby. I could feel it like a wall coming up in front of us before we even saw it. Then there it was.

"Good lord," Jetstream whispered as she saw what we were heading into.

It was a monstrous storm…an F5 level hurricane that was sitting in one spot, and had been for years from what I understood. It was the first line of defense that had been erected around a remote island that was the home of the man we were coming to see…the man from my green dream.

"This is NOT going to be easy," said Jetstream, "I want you boys to strap yourselves in tight and hang on. I don't think even I can get us through that thing safely, but I'll try."

"Let me help," I said without hesitating, "I can see the energy patterns in the storm, we can at least avoid the lightning that way."

She seemed to think about it for a moment, and then nodded her head in agreement. I then tried to help navigate through the storm even as the howling wind and sheets of rain slammed into us. It was taking all she had to keep the plane in the air, and at one point the Commander had to grab the controls and use his strength to hold the flaps in place so the plane wouldn't go into a nosedive.

Then it stopped. Like flicking a switch the bolts of lightning, winds and rain stopped. Though the sky remained threatening and black, all the other effects of the storm vanished. We were able to fly the rest of the way through the sullen sky and then we spotted it.

In the hurricane's eye was a good-sized island that looked like it was created by a rising volcano that dominated the island from the center. Atop the volcano was a castle that looked like something out of Lord of the Rings, especially since it was lit from below by the red light given off by the volcano's lava flow.

The castle itself was entirely dark, but suddenly a string of lights appeared and led to one of the larger towers, which lit up entirely. Jetstream understood that they were landing lights, and she easily landed the plane in the exact center of the landing pad on the tower's flat top. We all sat and caught our breaths, and then we got out.

To say it was creepy would be putting it mildly. I couldn't resist going and looking over the side of the tower down thousands of feet to the slow moving lava below. I then looked out over the volcano and down into the dark jungle below. I could swear I saw some the trees moving as if something BIG was passing through them, and at that moment I was very glad I couldn't see what it might be.

"Will," the Commander barked, "get back here!"

Will had had the same idea and lifted a few feet into the air to get a better look at what was moving through the jungle. With a sheepish grin he landed back on the tower next to me. I saw that Warren couldn't care less about what might have been out there; he was more interested in getting inside the castle and had already made his way to the large metallic door that had opened by itself to reveal a set of stairs leading down into the tower.

"I want everyone to be extremely careful," said the Commander before we started down the stairs, "Dr. Mandragore is obviously expecting us, but that doesn't mean we'll get a friendly welcome. Stay alert and let me take the lead. And once we find him, let Jetstream and I do the talking. I'm hoping to God that this goes down peacefully, but remember he's an expert at getting into peoples' heads. Don't listen to him even if it sounds like he's telling the truth."

"How will we know when he is?" asked Will.

"That's the problem," said the Commander, "we just won't know, but I'm hoping that we can appeal to the part of him that saved Warren all those years ago…and learn why he did what he did with Justin."

We headed down the flight of stairs lit by fluorescent lights several levels before the stairs went dark and the door to that level opened silently. If he was going for a "haunted house" affect it was really working…at least on Will and me.

That was when the music began. It was a strange, almost haunting sound that echoed down the corridor and wrapped around us like a heavy blanket. None of us knew what the name of it was…but I recognized it. Somehow I knew this music.

"That way," I said, sensing the direction the music was coming from. As one we all headed down the corridor, which was adorned with paintings of people who must have been Dr. Mandragore's family. There was a beautiful older woman dressed in black and purple who had to be his wife, two boys about the same age as my brother and I with one being tall and athletic looking while the younger one was shorter and freakishly over-muscled. The girl was also heavily muscled, but she looked almost magical in a dark purple dress and her shiny black hair cascading loosely almost to her waist. Finally there was a painting of a mischievous looking little boy dressed like his father in a Victorian era style suit.

At the end of the corridor was a large oak door with steel bands that was slightly ajar. The Commander reached out and pushed it all the way open as the music washed over us unabated but not loud. We then entered a gargantuan stone walled chamber that had to be a dining hall of some kind.

High up on a landing connected to the floor by a flight of steps was the source of the music; a strange looking device with two long wires coming out of the top and one side that was being manipulated by the tall, black haired oldest boy in the painting. He was dressed and acting as if he were giving a private concert for us though he did not look at us as he continued to play the strange music by passing his hands through the air around the device. I could see the patterns of electrical energy being manipulated that were causing the sounds that made the music. Seeing him in person gave me one of those strange feelings that I should somehow recognize him, but I wasn't sure why.

And that was where I finally saw him in real life for the first time.

He was sitting at the head of a huge table that was laid out with a banquet of food. An entire roast pig was the centerpiece, along with heaping platters of every type of food imaginable. Large chilled pitchers were all around as well, and he looked like some kind of old world nobleman prepared for dinner guests rather than the fearsome super villain the Commander had kept going on about. He even had the same gentle smile I remembered from my dream.

"Welcome, one and all," he said, standing and bowing low to us, "enter freely, go in safety, and leave some of the happiness you bring."

He was reciting a line from Dracula. This was not a good sign.

"You know why we're here, Barnabas," said the Commander.

"Indeed I do, old friend," smiled Dr. Mandragore, still looking like the kindly man from my dream, "but there is no reason to abstain from partaking of this little repast I had prepared for you. Surely you would not deny the young men a chance to enjoy a hot meal…after all, they are growing boys."

The Commander thought for a moment, then he and his wife looked at each other and they nodded in agreement. With that Will, Warren and I sat down and started eating the incredible food before us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dr. Mandragore smile in approval, taking this show of trust as a compliment.

"I am glad to see that you do not think I would stoop to something as lowly as trying to poison you," he said.

"We know you wouldn't hurt the boys, Barnabas," said Jetstream, trying to be the cooler head of her and her husband, "you've done too much for them already."

"Ah, dear Josephine," smiled Dr. Mandragore, "I am a sheet of glass when trying to hide anything from you."

"Quit with all the flattery and babbling," said the Commander, getting more and more tense by the second, "we want answers about EVERYTHING."

"And by that you mean…"

"What did you do to Justin? How did you…do what you did? How could you?"

"You mean…" he said, "why did I create him?"

The words froze all of us. Did I just hear him right? CREATE…me?

"Actually, that was a poor choice of words. I simply used the resources at hand to…bring about something to balance out an injustice I felt had been committed."

"You tried to create a clone…a copy of Warren to replace him if he died."

"No, I would not do that. Though I have the means at my disposal, it would have been something abhorrent to me…like trying to recreate one of my own children."

"What made you do this?

"I had not slept or hardly eaten in days…weeks. It was in the final dark hours as I sat trying to figure out what to do. I was desperate…and I do not know what angel or demon whispered into my ear what to do, but I knew it was the right thing to do."

"The right thing? Creating another life to replace a lost one?" The Commander was having a hard time trying to understand what Dr. Mandragore was saying.

"You should know better than anyone how desperation can drive someone a little mad…or inspire them, Steven."

"I would never have done this," replied the Commander.

"Even if it had been Theodore?"

Will got a strange look on his face, as if he thought his name had been mentioned.

"Yes William," Dr. Mandragore said to Will while still looking at the Commander, "haven't you ever wondered where your MIDDLE name came from…who you were named after?"

"Don't say another word," threatened the Commander, and he started to take a step towards Dr. Mandragore before Jetstream put her hand on his shoulder.

"Tell him Steve," she said quietly to her husband.

The Commander hesitated as if he was struggling with himself, then he finally slumped a little and began to talk in a quiet voice.

"Theodore…Ted Stronghold…was my younger brother. Two years younger than me."

"Go on," said Dr. Mandragore, though he obviously knew what was about to be said he seemed as anxious as the rest of us.

"It was the spring before I was to go to Sky High. I hadn't powered up yet, but everyone was sure it was a matter of time. I was fourteen and Ted was twelve. We were messing around one afternoon in the woods, on a section of train tracks that weren't used anymore…or so we thought.

"But we were wrong. A train came barreling out of nowhere, and before we knew it, it was almost on top of us. Ted…pushed me out of the way…but he didn't make it."

"But that's not the end…is it my friend?" said Dr. Mandragore with sympathy in his eyes.

"Two hours after it happened…I powered up. My strength kicked in and I…I nearly tore that whole forest apart. I went crazy from grief…why hadn't I gotten stronger sooner…I could have stopped the train…thrown Ted out of the way and I would have easily survived getting hit."

A single tear made its way from the Commander's eye as he lowered his head, obviously still feeling crushed by what had happened.

"Now you understand," said Dr. Mandragore, "I did what I did out of love, Steven. I could not stand the thought of Angelica losing everything like that. She was too good a person, deserving of so much better than what she has had to endure. If I had failed and Warren had died…she would have as well. I could not let that happen."

"But you did succeed," said Jetstream, "you saved Warren and restored him to health. You provided the means for him to control his power. Why would you then…create Justin?"

"But I had not succeeded," said Dr. Mandragore, "not yet. My final chance for a cure was just that…the final chance. If I had failed, Warren would have died in a few days. No my dear, you have it backwards. I created Justin BEFORE I cured Warren."

None of us had been moving, or even eating for the past few minutes. This was getting more intense yet strangely understandable by the moment. I looked at my brother sitting next to me, and I put a hand on his shoulder. I needed the anchoring contact as much as he did right now.

"I took samples of Warren's blood and hair, and was able to analyze them to find the defect that was killing him. Though I neutralized it, I knew I needed to totally reverse the process, and I could not do that without a sample of Baron's blood. But the means of procuring it were not yet in place, so I…improvised.

"I recreated Warren, but did subtle changes to the dna so that he would not suffer from the fiery effects of the energy that was a part of his very being. I altered the spectrum of electromagnetism from heat to electricity. I then placed…the embryo…in this…"

A television screen flicked on, showing a lab in the center of which was a large sphere filled with a slowly bubbling green liquid. The liquid was the same color as from my dream.

"An artificial womb so that Justin could gestate and grow. I had to make him the same age as Warren, so I sped up the aging process and within a week there was a perfectly healthy eight year old boy waiting to be born."

"That's why I remember you," I finally spoke, "I was having flashbacks to when…"

"To when you were in there," said Dr. Mandragore again with the gentle smile I remembered. "More than once I would be working there and I would find you looking at me with those big dark eyes. The same eyes as your father…and Warren."

"And I remember you too," I said, pointing at the black haired young man who had been playing the music when we entered, "you were the one playing the music for me."

"Marduke?" said Dr. Mandragore, "what does he mean?"

At first the boy was silent, then he stood up and began descending the stairs to come to the floor and join us. He seemed both embarrassed and proud at the same time.

"Yes Dad," he said, "I found out about Justin after you had cured Warren. I was wandering through the castle one day when I saw you entering that lab which you had forbidden all of us but Mother to enter. You used an electronic keypad, but you didn't know I was nearby and I have an ear for music…I heard and instantly memorized the sounds of the key code.

"I waited for hours until you left, then I entered the code and went in. I saw Justin…but I thought he was Warren…I couldn't understand because I had just…"

"Just what?"

"Just left Warren in his hospital room. I visited him whenever he was asleep and no one was around."

Warren looked surprised, which was a feat considering how stone faced he seemed from the moment I had first been…reunited, I guess…with him.

"I used to go see Warren all the time. He was…he was my best friend, like you and his dad were, Dad," said Marduke, "even though he never knew I existed. Then, when Warren left the hospital, I knew I couldn't go see him anymore. You and Mother had forbidden us…all us kids…from having any contact with Warren or his mother, and we never knew why."

"Because," said Dr. Mandragore, "we Mandragores had brought enough pain and sorrow into their lives to last for an eternity. They deserved peace and happiness."

"But WE wouldn't have been bad," said Marduke, "at least I know I and Victoria wouldn't. I would NEVER have hurt Warren, I…he was my friend."

It sounded like Marduke was about to say something else, but had caught himself at the last second.

"I found Justin in the lab. I didn't know why he was there; I was just fascinated by him. I would visit him every day instead of Warren…I don't know, maybe I had become dependant on having contact with someone I…imagined to be a friend. I would sit with him for hours, playing my music for him. Once in a while he would open his eyes and look at me like Warren had never done. And he would smile at me."

Marduke's voice was becoming heavier with emotion by the second. This kid had as much emotional baggage as we did, but there was something he just couldn't bring himself to say out loud. He had nearly done it several times.

"Then one day," said Marduke, a tear rolling from one of his strange colored eyes, "he was gone. The sphere was empty and I…I couldn't ask you and Mother what had happened because I wasn't supposed to know he was there. My friend was gone and…I thought he had died."

Even his father was dumbstruck by what Marduke had said. He rose from his chair and went to stand beside his son, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"My poor son," he said, his own voice becoming raspy with emotion, "all these years and you never let on.

"But see," he said, pointing at me, "he is alive. There he is, strong and healthy as his brother beside him. The two sons of Baron Battle and Angelica Peace."

His words struck me. Even he called Warren and I "brothers", the man who admitted that he had created me out of a part of my brother like Eve was created from a piece of Adam. If not for him, neither of us would be alive.

"Thank you."

Everyone stopped. Then they all looked at the one who had spoken.

It was Warren. He had stood up and was looking directly at Dr. Mandragore, his dark eyes shining for the first time since I had met him.

"Thank you for saving my life," he said, coming around the table and approaching the man who had once been our father's arch enemy, "I…I didn't even know until recently what had happened when I was little."

"The fever induced coma," said Dr. Mandragore, "it caused a touch of brain damage…wiped out your memory of what happened. We," he indicated the Commander and Jetstream, "all agreed it would be best not to tell you of it until you were older…if ever."

Warren now stood face to face with Dr. Mandragore, looking him straight in the eye.

"Thank you for trying to help my…our dad," he said, "and thank you for helping Mom." He then held out his hand, "and thank you for giving me a brother."

Dr. Mandragore smiled and took Warren's hand, shaking it.

"You are a good, strong young man," he said to my brother, "your parents must be very proud of you."

"Yes we are," came a voice from the huge doorway, one we all recognized.

There, standing in the entrance, was Angelica Peace. Her cascade of snow white hair had been pulled back in a braid that ran down the length of her back, and she was wearing a form-fitting white bodysuit with silver gloves and boots…it was her costume from when she used to be a super heroine.

"And I have a few words for you as well, old devil," she said as she looked directly at Dr. Mandragore with her sightless green eyes.

**To be continued**

Note: the device Marduke is playing is called a theremin; it's the forerunner of the synthesizer that creates sounds and music by generating an electromagnetic field that's manipulated by the player's hands as they pass through and around the field.


	5. Chapter 5

**My Name Is Justin**

**Chapter 5**

"**For Every Door That Closes"**

It was the end.

Outside he could hear the thunderous sounds of the battle, knowing it was going against him and his friends. There were the thunderous blows destroying the stone statues his wife had animated and sent against their opponents. There was roaring and howling of the hurricane winds Blowhard was blowing to try to knock them from the sky as Rockabilly's sonic pulse guitar played ear-splitting riffs to unleash sonic energy blasts. Over this could be heard the roar of the monstrous Tyrannosaur and the scream of the Harpy as they engaged their enemies in physical combat. The rumbling of the seismic shockwaves used by Mr. Richtor covered any sound that might be made as Black Ice used her cold generating power to assault their foes with hailstones and shard of ice.

His friends were fighting. They were losing.

Friends.

An unusual word to use considering who they were, but it was the correct one.

Now those friends were giving their all, trying to give him the time he needed to escape, because that was how they always did it. Even if they were all captured as long as he was free they knew he would return and set them free to begin again.

Only this time he did not want to escape.

No, this time was different. He was not leaving. He was staying.

He was going to end it all.

It would be so easy. All he had to do was press the red button on the control console, and the monstrous energy field that was surrounding Maxville would reverse polarity. Instead of being an impenetrable force field that was holding the entire city hostage, it would simply disintegrate everything within it. Where once there had been a city there would be a sheet of glass several miles in circumference.

It would be quite a feat, an act of mass destruction unparalleled by any other super villain in history. And all it would take would be the simple push of a button…

"You won't do it."

It wasn't a threat. It wasn't a guess. It was a simple statement of fact.

He did not need to look up to know who was speaking. He recognized the melodic voice as that of one of his enemies…if that word could truly be used for her.

"You sound so sure of that…but are you?"

"I have total confidence in you. You would never do such a horrible thing. It would be beneath you."

"Ah, but I AM a super villain…who knows what I am capable of?"

He felt a strong, slim hand rest on his shoulder. Though it was capable of crushing his bones to powder without effort, he knew he was in no danger. He finally looked up at the tall, athletic and beautiful woman standing next to him.

Her hair was a virtual halo of spun silver that flowed down to the small of her back, held out of her face by a small glittering tiara. Her flawless face would be the envy of any sculptor, with tip-tilted green eyes and full red lips that needed no coloring. She wore a one-piece silver body suit that showed every curve of her lithe body, along with white gloves and boots.

"You are a super villain," said the woman, "but you are also a man of honor and you are not a killer."

He relaxed finally, unable to fight this truth. For all the crimes he had committed, he would never kill anyone. An odd thing for one who devoted his life to the acquisition of wealth and power while fighting the super heroes of the world, but that was the truth of things.

"Come along Barnabas," said Angelica Peace as she helped her husband's arch-enemy to his feet, "I think we have all had enough for today. The others have already been captured, and we're all waiting for you outside."

"Yes," he said quietly, "I do feel slightly fatigued. I'm afraid I'm getting a little old for this…and children will do that as well."

"You don't believe that at all," she smiled as she walked with him, "and I think I'll let you in on a little secret. You won't be the only one with a son very soon."

The news startled him, bringing him out of his melancholy in an instant.

"You mean…?"

Angelica only smiled and nodded as they left the building, stepping out into the early evening that was alive with the sounds of sirens from law enforcement and rescue units come to back up the heroes who had already done the hard work.

Dr. Mandragore stood tall as he was led out by Angelica Peace, his outer veneer of sneering at the cameras taking pictures of him and the other captured villains hiding the joy that was now within him. Baron and Angelica were soon to be parents, and their son would doubtlessly go on to become the hero little Marduke would bedevil in the future. Somehow those made things seem more right in the world.

* * *

Now they stood facing each other once more for the first time in over eight years. Much had happened to both of them, but there was still no true animosity between them. Indeed, all that had happened had had the opposite effect. 

"Hello, Barnabas," said Angelica as she entered the room, making her way unerringly to where Dr. Mandragore stood as he had been shaking hands with Warren. Her son broke contact with him and turned to his mother.

"Mom," said Warren, "what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I'll explain later," smiled Angelica as she placed a reassuring hand on her son's shoulder, "right now I have something very important to talk to an old friend about."

With that she continued on until she stood in front of Dr. Mandragore, who actually seemed to shrink from her presence as if he was afraid of her somehow. She only smiled, then reached out and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I once told you that, though you were a villain, you were still a man of honor. I knew that when you saved my dearest son all those years ago, and now as I discover that you went beyond even that. You gave me another son…you gave me Justin. And you did it for me."

"I did what I felt was right," said Dr. Mandragore, visibly calming from Angelica's touch, "I could not let such a terrible thing happen to someone like you. We had both already lost Baron…I could not stand losing you as well."

"Angelica," said the Commander, stepping forward, "do you mean you're actually okay with this? That he created a clone of your son?"

"Yes," said Angelica, "I understand completely why he did it. I cannot fault him for caring so much for us. And how could I be angry with him when my love has been doubled with the life of Justin?"

"But what about all the rest of it," continued the Commander, "why hide him out for years, especially with Richtor and Harpy acting as his parents? If what he did was so great, why did he try to hide it?"

* * *

He found her in the lab again, once more in the presence of the small figure that floated gently in the sphere's green contents. She was not looking at it, but still she was drawn to it. 

"Is what I have done too horrible that you cannot look upon him?" he asked her.

"No," she answered, "not horrible. He is…too beautiful."

"You want him for yourself, don't you?"

"Yes Barnabas," said Lucretia Mandragore as she was finally able to bring her dark eyes up to look at the little boy in the tank, "I want so much to take him out of there…to hold him in my arms and love him as I love our other children."

"But he isn't one of our children, my beloved."

"Why not?" she shot back angrily, her eyes suddenly ablaze with the literal fire they once had when she was the super villainess known and feared as the Shadowitch. "Why can I not claim him as my own? No one knows of his existence except for us…he could be another son…the son…"

"The son you dreamed of having with Baron all those years ago?"

Lucretia could not look her husband in the eye at that statement. It was true that for years she had been in love with Baron Battle since the start of their respective careers. Most of the mad schemes she had tried were actually attempts to get Baron's attention and try to win his love, yet she had always been thwarted by Angelica Peace. Even when Lucretia had first met Barnabas in an alliance against their respective foes, she had been trying to win Baron just as Barnabas had been seeking his defeat.

"Do not be ashamed," Barnabas said as he took his wife's face in his hands so she met his gaze, "I may be a villain, but only a truly heartless fiend would hold such a thing against you. I know a part of you still loves my old friend, and I will not begrudge you that.

"But the fact remains we cannot "keep" him. How would we explain his presence to the children? Sooner or later word would leak out of his existence…and then who knows what would happen?"

"You don't mean to keep him locked up in there forever, do you?"

"Of course not," Dr. Mandragore replied, "such a thing would be unspeakable. No, he will be awakened, but in a place and way that no one would ever be able to know who he truly is. I have already made such arrangements, and they are to be carried out within the week."

* * *

"You turned an innocent child over to a pair of criminals…one of whom has tried to kill my wife on several occasions," said the Commander, his anger not lessening at all, "that's not the action of someone genuinely concerned with a child's welfare." 

"But you are thinking about those two from BEFORE the hearing when you and Josephine tried to adopt Warren," said Dr. Mandragore. "Remember, they both willingly testified on your behalves. And you did not see them after what happened…happened.

* * *

"So you both fully understand what I am asking of you?" 

Both the sharp-featured woman and burly man nodded their heads. They were dressed in normal clothing, their costumes packed and hidden away. They stood in the living room of the modest home that had been bought and furnished for them by their benefactor as they listened to his final instructions.

"The sedative will wear off within an hour. When Justin awakens you are to act as if he has been ill for several days, and has only just now come home from the hospital. You know how you are to answer any questions he may have, especially why he can't remember anything until today."

"The fever, " said Letha Talone, better known to the world as the Harpy, but now using the name Leslie Rexton, "he's suffered memory loss due to the high fever he had."

"Exactly," said Dr. Mandragore, knowing that young Warren had suffered the same thing for real after his powers had manifested in a fit of rage and grief against the Commander, "I thought it best not to program any false memories into his mind…there would be too many questions if he started learning things to the contrary."

"What do we do if…you know," asked Mr. Richtor, who was now using the alias of John Rexton.

"If his powers manifest unexpectedly, contact me immediately," said Dr. Mandragore, indicating the small communicator they were to keep hidden from Justin, "I have made sure they will not do so spontaneously at this age as what happened with Warren. They should only do so at the onset of puberty, which we will have a few years to prepare for. What form they make take…I am not sure of. I have realigned the genes so that it will be electrical in nature rather than thermal…but other than that I cannot say.

"And I have one more thing to say," he said, his face becoming the grimmest and most determined the two villains had ever seen, so much so that it unnerved even them. "The two of you are officially retired from your…careers. You are to lead normal, exemplary lives with no more attention to the goings on of the super human community than any other normal citizen. Do not speak of ANY of the supers around Justin. If he becomes interested in super heroes…as most children are, do not do anything to discourage his interest nor draw undo attention to it. Do not even reveal who you really are if and when his powers manifest. As far as he will know he will be a first born super."

"What about…Sky High?"

"That is why you are in California," said Dr. Mandragore, "so he will go to Sky High West. There is very little contact between this school's student body and Sky High, so the chances of anyone actually noticing any possible resemblance to Warren Peace will be put down as mere coincidence."

"But what if someone notices…and we're found out?"

"In that case," said Dr. Mandragore, "we shall all be in for a very interesting time indeed."

* * *

"That's why Mom…the Harpy was so scared," said Justin, who had remained silent during the entire explanation, "she was scared of being punished somehow." 

"I'm afraid the ordeal rather unhinged poor Letha," said Dr. Mandragore, "who knew someone who was such a vicious creature could become such a frightened and overly protective mother? Luckily I found her and convinced her everything would be alright."

"Is she…is she here?"

"No, I'm afraid not," said Dr. Mandragore, "she is in a safe house right now, hiding out until she is sure everything will be alright. She is especially afraid of…well, me. I'm afraid she thinks I will blame her for what has happened, but actually it is mostly Richard's fault…at least letting his baser nature get the better of him and committing all those robberies. If he had just waited a little longer so you're powers manifested, she wouldn't have panicked that the authorities would trace him back to your home and think you were some new young villain being raised by them."

"Please," said Justin, "please let her I'm alright…and that I'm grateful for all she did. She wasn't my real mom…but she'll be "Mom" to me."

"I certainly shall," smiled Dr. Mandragore, "and I couldn't have put it better myself."

"I…I don't know what to say," said Justin with tears forming in the corners of his eyes, "how can I ever thank you?"

"Just go home, my boy," smiled Dr. Mandragore, taking one last long look at the boy he had created, "go home and start a wonderful life and a grand adventure with all these other wonderful young heroes to be. Become a force that will make all your future enemies curse my very name for having created you…and that will be all the thanks I will need.

* * *

As they prepared to leave, Angelica Peace looked over into one of the darkness enshrouded corners of the great hall. To anyone else it would have looked like any of the other parts of the room, and never noticed the tall figure standing there. She wore a black dress, and her own long black hair seemed to merge into the shadows around her. It was no wonder she had used to use the name Shadowitch. She had been the one who transported Angelica to the castle so that she could hear everything that transpired between her husband's old enemy turned friend and her son…sons. 

"Thank you Lucretia," said Angelica in a gentle whisper she knew her one time archenemy could hear.

And in answer, the shadowy form smiled.

* * *

I stood there on the tower that was also the landing site of the jet that we had arrived in. I again looked out over the edge of the tower, across the lava that glowed below the castle and out beyond to the jungle. Though I was looking at sights that I never imagined I would see in real life a couple of days ago, I was too deep in thought about all that had been revealed. 

I was a clone; a copy of a young man who was the son of a fallen hero. I did not really exist. But here I was. What meaning did my life have now? I wasn't even really fifteen going on sixteen; I was actually seven or eight years old. No wonder I had no memories of my childhood…I never had one. Now I have learned everything about myself…but I still don't know anything.

"So…what are you thinking about?"

I turned and saw him standing there. Warren Peace. My brother. It was still uncanny how he looked like me…or rather I looked like him, considering I came from him.

This was all so confusing. God, I wish I were back in Malibu, going to school and being a kid again without all this weird sci-fi stuff going on. I just wanted to go back to playing ball with my friends, going to school and having my parents back…even if they had only been villains ordered to raise me thousands of miles away from where I came from.

"What have I GOT to think about," I answered a little too briskly, "I don't have anything…period. I never had a real home…a family…I don't really exist."

"That's bull," said Warren as he came closer, " you have a family. You've got Mom and Dad…well, Mom anyway for now, and you've got me."

"I don't know," I said truthfully, "it's all happening so fast. I just found out I'm not a real person and…"

"Don't be stupid," said Warren, "of course you're real! Dude, you're my twin brother, and I can honestly tell you it freaked me out at first…but now I like it."

"Well good for you," I shot back, "but I…I feel so alone. What do you know about that?"

"Don't you freaking tell ME about loneliness," said Warren, his eyes suddenly actually turning red, "you may have spent some time in a jar then raised for a couple of years by undercover crooks, but you didn't have to live every day with the stigma of what Dad did. Everybody looking at you funny, either scared to death you'd go ballistic over something or ready to point at you and say, "I told you so" about being a nut like Dad. So save your soap opera sob story and be glad you've got people who want you and love you."

"They don't want or love ME," I shot back, "they want and love YOU! I'm just caught in the fallout because I look like you! I AM NOT YOU! I WANT TO BE ME! DON'T YOU GET IT?"

And that's when it happened. In one moment of anger and frustration I blasted out at Warren with a bolt of lightning, sending him flying to slam into a nearby wall with terrific impact. The stone was actually cracked where he had hit it as he slumped down to the ground. In horror I realized what I had done, and I started to run to him when I saw him do the impossible.

He stood back up like nothing had happened. He glared at me for a second, angry at what I had done, then his hands burst into flames, scaring me for a moment as I had never seen him use his power before.

"Little brother," he said, "looks like you need a lesson in manners."

He then began hurling balls of fire at me. I instantly panicked as the deadly projectiles slammed all around me, scorching the bare stone and exploding. Warren was also coming towards me, the fire creeping up his arms to race across his shoulders until his entire upper body was like a bonfire. I could feel the heat coming off of him, and I lashed out with another lightning bolt, but I missed him and struck the tower wall behind him. The wall was already weak from Warren being slammed into it, so the lightning finished it off. With a deep rumbling it started to fall towards us.

"WARREN!" I screamed as I started to run to my brother, desperate to get him out of the way. He only stood there, still on fire as I impacted with him just as the wall fell on us. I cursed myself that I had killed us both, and then everything went black.

I woke up to find I was covered with rubble, but I wasn't injured…I didn't even feel hurt. I pushed up and a large chunk of stone moved easily out of my way. I did it again with another, and I was hit in the face with fresh air. I was able to uncover myself and stood up, a little woozy but amazingly unharmed. I looked down and, though my clothes were trashed, there wasn't a scratch on me.

"Took you long enough," I heard Warren say, and I turned to see he had already dug himself out of the rubble as well and was dusting himself off. Now I understood the practicality of the leather and denim he wore as his clothes could take a beating and still be okay.

"How…" I stammered, again caught up in the wonder of having any type of super power, "how did I…we…survive that? That was a solid stone wall…who knows how much it weighed? I…you…"

"It's called "invulnerability"," said Warren, unable to keep from grinning at my being so awestruck, "we got it from Mom…and a touch of her strength too. We're both pretty tough…actually it takes a LOT to hurt us, but we're both vulnerable to suffocation though. Otherwise we could probably bounce each other off every wall in Mandragore Castle and all it would do is make them file a major homeowner's policy for the damage caused. You should have seen the mess Stronghold and I made of the cafeteria at school."

I couldn't think straight. I didn't know where to begin for a second, but I knew what I had to say.

"I…I'm sorry," I said to my brother, "I didn't mean to zap you like that…"

"It's cool," said Warren as he helped me get out of the pile of rubble, "we've BOTH got Dad's bad temper I guess. Just be careful where you aim those things though."

"Easy for you to say," I told him as I regained my feet, "I have no idea how I even do it, and how am I going to learn how to control it anyway?"

"I think I know just the place," Warren smiled.

* * *

"Alright, listen up," said Coach Boomer to the small group of students that had joined at the start of spring semester at Sky High, "I know some of you are different classes, but ALL of you will get up here and demonstrate your power to see where you get placed. Let's get started with…" 

Boomer paused a moment as he looked down at his clipboard at the list of names, and one in particular caught his eye. This had to be a joke. There was no way…

He then looked at the new students, and he felt a chill go down his spine as he realized one tall new kid in particular looked EXTREMELY familiar. The snow white hair tied in a pony tail was the only thing that had kept him from putting two and two together at first, but there was no way of hiding the resemblance; he was even wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans, but his tee shirt was blue with the Chinese symbol for lighting on the chest.

"You can't possibly be…" started Coach Boomer as he looked directly at the boy.

"Yes sir," the kid smiled easily, "my name's Battle…Justin Battle."

**The End**


End file.
